Reflecting, are we celebrating our successes or frowning on our bloopers

Life moves fast, we often end up so busy filling every day with our big to do lists we forget to stop, look back, reflect on our achievements, learn from our bloopers and celebrate the joyful parts of our journey.

I see..

I see mums with small children and from the moment they wake up in the morning their days are planned and full right through to dinner, bath and bed time at which time they can collapse on the couch, seeking solace in a block of chocolate.

I see young entrepreneurs who are so busy climbing the corporate ladder and transitioning from the sandpit to the University to the boardroom, they take no breath in between and spend most of their valuable time face down in a laptop lacking connections with others.

I see middle management single women unhappy with their careers, but feeling forced to stay due to large mortgages and drowning in debt and white wine to eliminate their despair.

I see older males stuck in their roles feeling too old to try something new and slowly losing their youth and vitality dreading a future of more of the sameness.

I see people out in the world getting so wrapped up and running from one task to the next not appreciating the moment or the ride. I can see the look of busyness on their faces or fear that if they stop they will not keep up.

Social media..

Even keeping up with social media and ensuring nothing is missed in our news feed is a part time job. Adding on top of that Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn turns it quickly into a full time profession with no remuneration in sight.

Our world..

I am not sure where our world went from being able to breathe freely to crazy busy and standing in the middle of our demanding life trying to juggle all the balls we find ourselves with.

Our society is drowning in depression, anxiety and mental illnesses and I am sure that the pace and the expectations life, people and we put on ourselves doesn’t help.

Rejoicing in our successes

But then I will see someone who has their world together, and I rejoice.

I see people who have just taken on a new challenge, fulfilled their dream and are now sharing it with others excitedly with eager enthusiasm and a huge smile.

I see people wandering around in the park with nothing to worry about except what a nice day it is to walk the dog. Lucky pooch.

I see people saying “No”, accepting their limits and with no apologies protecting their precious self and taking themselves to bed early.

I see people stretching and tangling their body at yoga classes or running around the tree lined suburbs, feeling proud of their achievements and the small changes to their mind and body.

I see children with the ability to live in the moment and enjoy what life has to offer, playing with their pets, colouring in, sitting with mum getting hugs or just lapping up the sun on the couch.

I see graceful older ladies dressing up for their daily outing to the supermarket, walking with proudness and class with only a mini to do list and totally enjoying the outing.

My challenge

So my challenge to you is occasionally, not all the time, but sometimes just to stop the busyness and look at where you have been, how you have arrived at this destination you are standing in and ask yourself.

Are you celebrating your success or frowning upon your bloopers?

Remember

To remember that even if you feel you are frowning on your bloopers creating awareness gives you an opportunity to make a different choice, do something differently, take a risk, change direction, follow your heart to your dreams.

Even if you are frowning there must be parts of your journey that are good and you feel proud about. Seek them out, celebrate them and learn to incorporate more of these into your daily life, whilst at the same time moving direction to where you would like to arrive in the future.

If you are living the dream ensure that you remember to stop and celebrate how far you have come.

My dream

In five sleeps I will be standing at my very own book launch for my new book Heartbreak, Healing and Happiness, on the podium, centre of attention (Not so sure about that), feeling proud as punch sharing my long standing dream and achievement with others.

I had to remind myself this morning to stop and appreciate it. Acknowledge what I had achieved. It is okay to celebrate, to reward ourselves, to be proud of ourselves.

About fifteen years ago I had a dream to publish a book and right now in five sleeps I will be standing in that very destination, I have arrived,I am on the countdown to be at my own pink book launch. I am living this particular dream that I have fought and strived for, for a very long time.

It hasn’t always been easy and there have been ups and down to get to this moment but right now I choose to celebrate and I am feeling abit like a peacock with her feathers all puffed up, and warm and fuzzy inside.

My choice

I am going to choose this week to stop, slow down and appreciate the lead up, choosing the dress, preparing the books, the location etc and live the life in the dream. Celebrate the journey.

The few bloopers I have had I will take into account, forgive, move on and put it down to a learning experience and get back to celebrating the journey with champagne and a lot of friends and family.

Question time?

List your wins, what have you achieved?
List your bloopers, what have you learnt?
Are you happy in your current destination? If not, what can you change?
What part of your journey can you celebrate? How will you celebrate?

A Recipe to celebration

Stop – put down the to do list, carve out some time in your day
Breathe – deeply from the abdomen not the chest
Rest the mind – Get into the moment and focus on the breathe Read more about calming your thoughts here.
Invite in reflection time – give yourself permission
Celebrate your wins and learn from your bloopers

Today you are in your destination, choose wisely to determine the next destination you will create for your future. Move towards living the dream, and don’t forget to celebrate along the way.